Northern Ireland Railway Task Force

Whether they are still committed to publishing the report from the Northern Ireland Railway Task Force in July 2000.[HL2589]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No decision has been taken on whether the task force's report will be published.

County Down to Belfast Expressway Proposal

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why a public consultation exercise concerning an expressway-style rapid transit system from the northern part of County Down to the centre of Belfast was carried out if there are no plans to proceed with the project.[HL2661]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company commissioned a public consultation on transportation options on the Belfast to Newtownards corridor to inform and gauge public opinion on the proposed scheme. Public opinion will be one of the factors to be taken into account when a decision is made on whether to proceed with the project.

Government have not come to any decision.

Northern Ireland: Rail Safety

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 24 May (WA 96), whether the safety policy which applies to the rest of the United Kingdom only applies to Northern Ireland if and when funding is available.[HL2687]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No. The steps to bring Northern Ireland into line with GB arrangements, where appropriate, are dependent upon revised legislation and agreement of a closer working relationship with Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 25 May concerning rail safety arrangements for Northern Ireland, whether they will outline the timetable for the discussions between the Department for Regional Development and the Great Britain Health and Safety Executive and when the proposal will be available.[HL2689]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Discussions on formalising arrangements with HSE (GB) are due to be concluded in the summer. Formal agreements will be signed shortly thereafter.

8 Jun 2000 : Column WA176

Northern Ireland: Public Transport

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 24 May (WA 100), why the Answer was restricted to only some and not all investigations; why it costs over £500 to supply a print-out of all such investigations; and whether the earlier Written Answer by Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton on 30 May (WA 102) would indicate that the total cost over the 10 years of approximately 250 reports would be in the region of £3.5 million.[HL2688]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The investigations referred to are those commissioned by the former Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. There is no print-out of all the investigations commissioned by the department and it would entail the disruption of normal duties for a number of staff for many hours to compile such a list and would have cost well in excess of £500 in staff time. It is not possible to say what the cost of 250 reports would be.

Belfast to Londonderry Railway Line

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton on 2 May (WA 172), that no proposal to carry freight on the Belfast to Londonderry railway line has been made, what was the purpose of a report into building a freight spur into the new port outside Londonderry.[HL2690]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: In 1993 the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners examined the financial and operational feasibility of constructing a railhead at the port at Lisahally. However the infrastructure work that would have been required to provide a rail spur to the port made the costs of the option prohibitive.

NMEC: Resignation of Mr Ayling

Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company became aware that there was a proposal for Mr Bob Ayling to be replaced as its chairman.[HL2679]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Robert Ayling informed me of his decision to resign as Chairman of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) on 23 May. Mr Ayling served NMEC as chairman for three years and his decision to step down was in keeping with the fact that he has always put the good of the project first.

8 Jun 2000 : Column WA177

NMEC: Ministerial Responsibilities

Lord Brabazon of Tara asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which Ministers of the Crown have ministerial responsibility for the oversight of the Dome project; and whether they will publish in Hansard the responsibilities with regard to the New Millennium Experience Company and the Dome of the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer of Thoroton.[HL2681]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: As shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), I am accountable to Parliament for the work of NMEC. I answer parliamentary questions on the Millennium Experience and appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and the honourable Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Janet Anderson) answers parliamentary questions on the Millennium Experience in the other place. My role is to ensure that NMEC meet the Government's five commitments for the experience, covering cost, content, national impact, legacy and effective management. I also appoint NMEC board members, approve their remuneration and agree the arrangements for determining the pay and other benefits for other staff.

NMEC: Funding

Lord Dixon-Smith asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 24 May (H.L. Deb., col. 774) that "the New Millennium Experience Company had to make a convincing case to the Millennium Commission in order to receive further funding, which it did" is to be reconciled with his statement, in response to a question about ministerial involvement in the funding decision by the Millennium Commission on 24 May (H.L. Deb., col. 852), that "I am not in the position to answer the question that she asked in relation to the matter; nor should I be".[HL2683]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The preparation and submission of business plans and budget forecasts to the Millennium Commission are a matter for the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) and its board, not for the shareholder.

School-age Children: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Baroness Young asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many school-age children of 16 or below are known to be suffering from sexually transmitted disease; what are the comparative figures for 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1998-99; and what is the annual cost of their treatment.[HL2632]

8 Jun 2000 : Column WA178

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The available data based on diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections in genito-urinary medicine clinics in England are as follows. Information on annual treatment costs is not collected separately.

Primary and secondary syphilis

Sex and age group

Year of

<16

16-19

Diagnosis

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

1970

2

2

4

52

37

89

1980

0

3

3

63

56

119

1990

3

2

5

5

7

12

1998

0

0

0

5

3

8

Gonorrhoea

Sex and age group

Year of

<16

16-19

Diagnosis

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

1970

74

374

448

3,714

4,674

8,388

1980

94

305

399

4,288

6,216

10,504

1990

45

121

166

1,327

1,891

3,218

1998

36

155

191

984

1,433

2,417

First episode genital herpes*

Sex and age group

Year of

<16

16-19

Diagnosis

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

1990

17

73

90

382

1,244

1,626

1998

11

93

104

312

1,797

2,109

First episode of genital warts*

Sex and age group

Year of

<16

16-19

Diagnosis

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

1990

75

291

366

2,753

6,517

9,270

1998

91

425

516

2,719

8,290

11,009

Uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection*

Sex and age group

Year of

<16

16-19

Diagnosis

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

1990

44

252

296

1,574

4,788

6,362

1998

53

553

606

2348

8,294

10,642

*Data not available for 1970 and 1980.

Data source: KC60.

HIV infection

Three cases of HIV infection acquired by sexual exposure were reported in 1998 for the five to 16-year age group. Comparative figures for the earlier years are not available.
Source: National Paediatric HIV/AIDS Surveillance Register and Survey of Prevalent HIV Infections Diagnosed.